(a) While the Legislature reaffirms its belief that juvenile criminal records, in general, should be confidential, it is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this section to provide for a limited exception to that confidentiality in cases involving serious acts of violence. Further, it is the intent of the Legislature that even in these selected cases the dissemination of juvenile criminal records be as limited as possible, consistent with the need to work with a student in an appropriate fashion, and the need to protect potentially vulnerable school staff and other students over whom the school staff exercises direct supervision and responsibility.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a) of Section 828, a school district police or security department may provide written notice to the superintendent of the school district that a minor enrolled in a public school maintained by that school district, in kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, has been found by a court of competent jurisdiction to have illegally used, sold, or possessed a controlled substance as defined in Section 11007 of the Health and Safety Code or to have committed any crime listed in paragraphs (1) to (15), inclusive, or paragraphs (17) to (19), inclusive, or paragraphs (25) to (28), inclusive, of subdivision (b) of, or in paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of, or subdivision (e) of, Section 707. The information may be expeditiously transmitted to any teacher, counselor, or administrator with direct supervisorial or disciplinary responsibility over the minor, who the superintendent or his or her designee, after consultation with the principal at the school of attendance, believes needs this information to work with the student in an appropriate fashion, to avoid being needlessly vulnerable or to protect other persons from needless vulnerability.
(c) Any information received by a teacher, counselor, or administrator pursuant to this section shall be received in confidence for the limited purpose for which it was provided and shall not be further disseminated by the teacher, counselor, or administrator. An intentional violation of the confidentiality provisions of this section is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500).
(Amended by Stats. 1998, Ch. 925, Sec. 8. Effective January 1, 1999.)